Bottles of whisky and vodka seized by Haia authorities and police from an apartment in Jeddah are shown in this picture, courtesy of sabq.org.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) and the police in Jeddah have arrested three people in possession of 336 bottles of imported liquor.

The arrests and seizure comes after Haia officials and police officers raided an apartment in Bawadi district, the Haia said on Wednesday.

The authorities have destroyed thousands of liters of alcohol seized in operations over the past few weeks.

Last week, officers raided four distilleries that produced over 20,250 liters of liquor for sale. It also raided another distillery in south Jeddah and destroyed thousands of liters of alcohol.
In a crackdown last month, the authorities destroyed 25 barrels of liquor and 1,044 bottles of wine.

Sources claim that mostly expatriates from Ethiopia and some Asian countries are involved in the manufacture and sale of liquor in Jeddah.

There are harsh penalties for manufacturing and selling alcohol in Saudi Arabia including jail time and lashes.

The authorities have recently arrested several people for attempting to smuggle alcohol into the Kingdom at border crossings.